From Here On Out
by BregoArodShadowfax
Summary: Sequel to 'This Is Your Life.' Sanji had thought that balancing real life and working to take down a new crime boss would be easier the second time around. He was wrong. Modern!AU, ZoSan primarily, other secondary pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** This Is Your Life: One-Shots  
**Author:** AoiTsukikage  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Characters/Pairing:** ZoSan, other secondary pairings  
**Chapters:** 1/1 for now  
**Word Count:** 3345  
**Summary:** One-shots set in my 'This Is Your Life' universe. Mostly because I haven't written One Piece fic in years and I wanted to dabble in the fandom again :)

"I don't think I've ever seen your office before. It looks…"

"Completely generic?" Kaku looked behind him and leaned against the doorframe, eyes directed toward the ceiling. "That's because it is. It's less an office than a…base of operations, I suppose, since we're not _really _city employees."

Sanji stepped backwards as a veritable herd of interns stampeded down the hallway and sighed. "Busy around here, isn't it?"

"Civic election's in a couple of weeks, so yes, I'd say that's a fair assessment," the other man slung an arm around Sanji's shoulders. "And we have to win, so that makes it a little more important."

"Because of you guys?"

"Mm, partly, it would be hard to explain to an outsider why the biggest cities in the western half of the country have a team of hired assassins working for them," he laughed and hopped onto the desk in the room, pulling his knees up to his chest. "But also because Iceburg is fully on our side, and it's impossible to tell where somebody's allegiance truly lies until they've been through the fire," he looked contemplative now.

"You think he's got a chance?"

"Four years ago I would have said no, but you know we were in Calgary for almost a year and they've got a young mayor, and it seems like the trend is skewing more toward youth and innovation over age and set ideals," he explained. "Regardless, Iceburg's well-known and well-liked and he's got the approval of the outgoing mayor, so I think we've got a good shot," he stood up then and moved out of the room, the hallway empty once again. "Come on."

Sanji followed him through the building to the front foyer, where Law was lounging against the wall, looking bored and attracting disbelieving looks from a lot of the people scurrying through the lobby.

"Finally. I thought somebody was going to ask me to vacate the premises on principle," the man pushed off from the wall and crossed his arms, and Sanji had to admit that it was probably uncommon for guys with tattoos and piercings and heavy eye makeup to just…hang around City Hall.

"Any news?" Kaku asked once they were out on the street, the bustle of the city at lunchtime vivid even in the dreary November air.

"Nah, he's laying low, from what we figure," Law had a hand braced on his hip and he was looking around cautiously, and Sanji wondered what it would be like to be on constant guard all the time. It had to be exhausting. "I mean, Krieg probably had men that weren't with him that night last year, so if there's a new gang lord rising and he's got any brain cells at all, he'll have spoken to them and they'll know this city's well-equipped to deal with threats."

"Enel's got a huge ego from what I hear," Kaku looked a little more relaxed, hands stuffed in his pockets as they meandered down the road. "Which makes him dangerous because he'll be ambitious, but it also means he's likely to be overconfident. It's probably better to play it safe, though."

"I'll talk to Hawkins when I can, see if he's gotten any visions lately about impending danger," Law had a smile on his lips and while Sanji had never met the man in question, he knew that he had some eerie psychic powers of prediction that, as far as he knew, were always right.

"You heard from Ace lately?" Kaku asked while they were waiting for a light to change, and Sanji nodded.

"Yeah, he's coming home next month for Christmas. I think Smoker's driving him crazy but we all could have told him that before he left," he knew he sounded wistful but he did miss the other man. Ace was somebody he could talk to about literally anything and know that he wouldn't be judged or have to be worried that he wouldn't be taken seriously.

They crossed the street and entered a little café, getting their drinks and heading to a table in the back so that they could talk quietly.

"So, what's the plan?" Sanji crossed his legs and draped his arm over the back of his chair, tapping his fingers idly on the wood.

"For you? Nothing," Kaku looked like he expected Sanji to be difficult about this. "I know that we told you you could help, and you can, but we're not going to go looking for trouble. We have to let him make the first move."

"Yeah, I know, I just…expected this to be a little more exciting. You know, after last time," Sanji replied, because last time it had been completely overwhelming but that probably had something to do with the fact that he was kind of the target in that particular plan.

"It's usually not," Law gave him a somewhat patronizing smile. "I mean, I like action well enough, but if we were constantly having to rush off and fight people that would be too much for me."

"Yeah, I guess," Sanji admitted they had a point, and he opened his mouth to say something else when Law's phone buzzed and a rather high-pitched squawk followed by the shriek of people at the front of the coffee shop interrupted him. A second later a large white bird had settled itself on his shoulder, 'broo-hoo'-ing happily even as Sanji flinched because wow, he was not expecting that.

"Trouble?" Kaku asked Law, who nodded and put his phone down.

"Yeah. I'm guessing that's why…"

"Rob apparently thinks that sending a text is too basic a means of communication, so he sends a pigeon," Kaku looked highly unimpressed, but not as unimpressed as the coffee shop owner who was currently rather angrily pointing toward their table.

"Well, Mr. Blackleg, you wished for action and you've got it. Coming?" Law stood up, seemingly unfazed by the fact that the entire patronage of the shop was giving them curious glances, and Sanji scrambled to his feet a moment later with Hattori cooing rather indignantly as he tried to keep his perch.

"You're serious? I can come?"

"As long as you don't cause trouble," Kaku gave Sanji a look that told him he was fairly sure Sanji wouldn't, and Sanji gratefully followed them out of the shop and down the street.

000

"So what's the news?" he asked once they'd turned onto a mostly-empty side-street, a few dilapidated buildings dotting the roadway. Law was holding up his phone, checking addresses as they went, and Hattori seemed to be directing them with his wings.

"Not sure. Just that we're supposed to come," the dark-haired man replied as he sighed and directed them down another alleyway.

"And they won't be mad I'm tagging along?"

"Well, Rob will be grumpy, but that's not new," Kaku rolled his eyes. "He's gotten worse ever since he turned 30 this year; seems to think he has to keep proving he hasn't lost it," he sounded rather fed up and while Sanji knew that Lucci could be trying at the best of times, he had to imagine a Lucci who was constantly seeking to prove something would be even worse.

"Hey, everybody agreed that Mr. Blackleg and his friends could assist us if they chose, so as far as I'm concerned, nobody has any grounds to complain," Law stopped in front of a place that was boarded up and looked at the peeling numbers above the door. "Here."

"What _is _this place?" Sanji asked, looking around curiously.

"Just old businesses that are slated for demolition so a new condo development can be built," Kaku shrugged. "Progress, you know. Upwards and upwards," he gestured to the two-story buildings that would soon make way for 20-or-30-story ones. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Yeah," Sanji grinned, glad that he'd kept up with his training even though the past year had been peaceful for the most part, but it only took one well=placed kick to smash the door in and then they were inside, climbing the rickety stairs to the second floor where two men were waiting.

"About time, boy," Rob Lucci looked, as per usual, disgruntled, his arms crossed over his chest, and he barely spared a glance for Hattori as the pigeon fluttered to his shoulder.

"To be fair, Rob, you just sent a pigeon. It's not like I can read his mind," Kaku held out his hands and Lucci sighed, passing over a set of _katana _that the other man accepted with a nod.

"Hey, at least I sent a message," the other occupant of the room grumbled, and Sanji glanced at him. He was wearing a cloak that had more guns than he could count strapped to the inside and it would probably have been daunting had Sanji not known whose side he was on.

"And I do appreciate that, Mr. Kidd, but sadly your message lacked any pertinent details," Law clapped the man on his shoulder and turned to the grimy window. "What are we in for, lads?"

"Bunch of guys keeping a firearms cache across the street," Kidd pointed to a building nearby. "Dunno who they are, if they're Krieg's old men or with Enel or whatever, but they've got guns and they're not allowed to have them so…"

"So we go in there, disarm them, and wait for the police to clean up the mess," Lucci replied simply. "Which means no unnecessary violence unless it's in self-defence, so you two watch those swords," he looked pointedly at Kaku, who spun his _katana _around almost as a challenge, and Law, who'd picked up his giant sword from where it was resting against the wall.

"I claim no responsibility if somebody gets in the way of my blade," he replied.

"And Sanji…" Lucci looked at Sanji before shaking his head. "I should have known they'd drag you along, but you don't use weapons, right?"

"Just my feet," Sanji replied, crossing his arms and tapping the toe of his shoe on the floor.

"Good. I don't expect this to be overtly difficult since they have no idea we're planning on ambushing them, but I'd rather not have to deal with your boyfriend if you get hurt," he looked resigned and Sanji laughed and shook his head.

"Zoro knows I can take care of myself. It's not his call to make whether I do this or not," Sanji knew that Zoro wouldn't like it, at least since he wasn't there to look out for him, but he could handle himself.

"Right, then. Let's move."

000

It was thrilling. Honestly, most of that _was _because they had the element of surprise and none of the would-be gangsters had actually bothered to arm _themselves, _but actually fighting for real instead of having just air (and occasionally Zoro) be his opponents gave him a rush he hadn't even realized he'd been missing.

Not that he was an overtly violent person by nature, of course not, but working under Zeff gave him a _lot _of extra aggression to burn off and he thought that he might have just found his outlet (the shitty old cook never _would _admit anything he did was ever good, even if he knew his dishes were the epitome of perfection).

At any rate, a good roundhouse kick or two was all it took to stun most of the men, and the five of them were more than enough to surround them and make sure they didn't try to escape.

Not that, with Kidd pointing two of his many guns at them and Law and Kaku with their swords drawn they _would_, Sanji thought they'd have to be pretty stupid to try it, but he was still on his guard until the police burst through the door and assured the men they'd handle it from there.

"So?" he asked when they were walking out of the building, hands in his pockets and a lit cigarette between his lips (that Law, of course, had to steal and take a drag of before handing it back to him). "Did I pass?"

"It was hardly a test," Lucci gave him a sideways glance that very clearly told him he was bullshitting. "And we already knew how proficient you are, but yes, you did well. I think we'll all be glad to have the help you and your friends can offer, especially if Enel is as egotistical as the stories say."

"Law and I will try to go deeper underground and find out a little more about him, but from what I hear, he thinks of himself as some god reborn so he's a fucking nutjob, and half the time those guys are way more dangerous than the sane ones," Kidd muttered, folding his cloak tighter around his body.

"Insanity is unpredictable," Law added calmly. "But if there's anything to be found, we'll find it. If they aren't going to give it up willingly, well…they call me the Surgeon of Death for a reason."

His voice was so mild and his delivery so calm that it made Sanji shiver, and not for the first time he was glad that these men, for whatever reason, were his friends.

"But keep it quiet for a couple of weeks, we'd like for Iceburg to be in office before word gets out his hired guns are causing trouble," Kaku cautioned, getting a grunt from Kidd and an understanding nod from Law.

Sanji's phone going off startled him and he pulled it out of his pocket, seeing Zoro's number and biting his lip as he tapped some ash off his cigarette.

"That your lover?" Lucci was smirking and Sanji glared at him. "I know it is, don't get so uptight. Go home and see if you can't…put some of that pent-up adrenaline from the fight to good use," he had an evil glint in his eye and Sanji knew exactly what he was talking about.

And he also knew that Zoro would be more than okay with it.

000

"Fucking hell, cook, you gonna explain that one to me?" Zoro was panting, a thin sheen of sweat covering his perfectly toned body, and Sanji groaned and let his head thunk back against the wall, legs still firmly clamped around the other man's waist.

Okay, so maybe attacking him as soon as he'd gotten through the door hadn't been the most well thought-out plan, but they were both half-undressed and against the wall in the front entrance and wow, yeah, way to look desperate, Sanji.

"I…" Sanji unlocked his legs and whined a little when Zoro pulled out, holding him gently as he lowered him to the ground (and yeah, he was definitely going to be feeling that tomorrow). "Um…" he paused then, because Zoro had a knowing smirk on his face, and all he could do in response was to roll his eyes and groan, burying his face against Zoro's neck and hearing the other man's hushed laughter. "Fucking long-nosed freak texted you, didn't he?"

"Hey, at least _somebody's _giving me updates on your crime fighting ways. You should have invited me," Zoro poked his shoulder and Sanji growled and swatted at him.

"There wasn't a chance to. Next time," he promised, because he was sure there'd be a next time, but right now he was sweaty and dirty and _tired _and he just kind of wanted to curl up with Zoro and sleep for a while. "It was fun, though."

"You sound like me now, getting all worked up over fighting," Zoro didn't look displeased by that and Sanji irritably shoved at his shoulder, leaning onto him more heavily. "It's hot. I like it."

"Yes, from the way you so willingly went along with this, I'd gathered," Sanji replied dryly. "Now the least you can do is carry me to the bathroom. I want to sleep but I'm going to regret it if I don't at least shower first."

"You're such a baby, Cook," Zoro grunted but easily picked him up, and how gentle he was despite grumbling in annoyance the entire way told Sanji more plainly than anything else ever could how Zoro really felt about him. "But you promise? Next time?"

"Yeah. Or, I mean, talk to one of the others. They said they want to keep things quiet for a bit until the election's over but…" he didn't have the energy to explain everything now and he hoped Zoro wouldn't ask.

"Hey, whatever, as long as I don't get left out of the fun," he grinned and reached to turn the shower on, helping Sanji out of the rest of his clothing before getting undressed himself and guiding the blond under the water. "Something else is bugging you."

"Nah, nothing important. Just…do you know if Law's actually had medical training?"

"You mean, do I know how he knows how to torture guys?" Zoro laughed and Sanji's head snapped up. "Hey, easy, I don't think he's ever actually done anything illegal…but yeah, I'm sure he could. He told me about it once. And yeah, I guess he was training to go to med school and kind of…got sidetracked by the whole mercenary thing and then fell in with Lucci and them," he replied and Sanji hummed in acknowledgment, because for as much as he liked Law, if he was truly some sort of sadistic torturer that might put a damper on their friendship.

"Remember how five years ago we were just some kids in high school who had no idea what life had in store for us?" he was tired, and he got contemplative when he was exhausted, but it was something he thought about often.

"And now we're mixed up with gang wars and undercover agents?" Zoro replied, smirking, and Sanji had to smile back. "Because I've gotta tell you, I kind of prefer life this way."

"I'm starting to think I do, too," Sanji threaded his fingers through the other man's green hair and kissed him, meaning to keep it chaste but when it turned deeper he didn't see any reason to stop that.

"Hey, I thought you were tired," Zoro laughed breathily and Sanji shrugged.

"I am," he yawned to prove his point.

"You don't work tonight, do you?" Zoro looked like he really hoped the answer was 'no', and Sanji thought about it for a moment before groaning. "What?"

"No, but we're supposed to meet Nami and Luffy for dinner, remember? Shit, I completely forgot about that…"

"We can cancel," Zoro shrugged like it was no big deal and Sanji resisted the urge to kick him, but only because it would take too much energy to do that.

"You oaf, you do _not _cancel on a lady," he sniffed and tried to get out of the shower as gracefully as he could, drying himself off hurriedly with a towel before digging his phone out of his discarded pants and checking the time. "And it's only mid-afternoon. I won't need _that _long to re-charge."

"Fine," Zoro turned the water off and grabbed a towel for himself, drying off before scooping Sanji up (amid much protesting, of course) and carrying him into the bedroom. "Hey, you're the one complaining about being tired."

"I can still _walk," _Sanji muttered before scurrying under the covers, shifting so that his head was pillowed on Zoro's shoulder once the other man had climbed in as well.

"So. Next time…"

"_Yes_, as long as it's not short notice like this one was, you can come along and get some sword fighting practice in," Sanji promised, reaching for the other man's hand and hiding a smile when Zoro laced their fingers together. For as gruff and stoic as he always pretended to be, he really could be sweet.

"Good. I'm holding you to that."

"Mm-hmm, now sleep," Sanji yawned again and heard Zoro sigh in response, and a part of him thought that if having a little danger and excitement still meant coming home every day to _this, _he could easily get used to it.

**Notes:**

**1. **Holy crap where did this come from? I have not written One Piece fic in almost three years, and haven't written in this 'verse for nearly _four _years, so I have no idea if this will be an ongoing thing but…it was really, really fun to come back to and I'm reminded how much I love these characters.

**2. **I also haven't kept up with the manga for a couple of years but upon going back to do a quick recap on what's going on the fact that Law and Sanji are actually canonically having conversations now makes me very happy since when I'd first written 'This Is Your Life' I kind of…threw Law in there without him really having interacted with most of the crew.

**3. **Um, hi? Nobody remembers who I am, I'm sure, but if you do, yes, it's me, feel free to review :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** From Here On Out  
**Author:** AoiTsukikage  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Characters/Pairing:** ZoSan, other secondary pairings  
**Chapters:** 2/?  
**Word Count:** 2954  
**Summary:** Sequel to 'This Is Your Life.' Everything should be easier the second time around. Or, at least, that's what he thought before life decided to prove him wrong. ZoSan primarily, other secondary pairings.

**Chapter Two**

"Eggplant! Those weird friends of yours are scaring off the customers again, go deal with them!" is what he had to deal with after his shift had barely started, and he angrily wiped his hands off on his apron, muttering vague things about 'shitty old men' and 'can't he do anything himself' but when he got out to the dining room and saw who was sitting by the entrance, he knew why Zeff had sent him.

"Good evening, Mr. Blackleg," one of the men seated at the table addressed him formally, and he was actually dressed rather innocuously (well, for him, Sanji figured), which meant that there was no cape and no giant hat (and no giant sword, although Sanji figured that wasn't far away).

"Mihawk," Sanji pulled up a spare chair and sat down, looking from Mihawk to the other occupant of the table who was leaning rather casually in his chair, his only arm braced over the back. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but I've got a feeling this isn't just a social visit."

"No, you're right," Mihawk turned his oddly colored eyes on Sanji and then looked at Shanks, who shrugged. "We've gotten word that Enel's starting to move, and it's concerning us."

"Word from Law and Kid who I see all the time and who somehow just didn't think to tell me word?" Sanji raised his visible curled eyebrow and Shanks barked a laugh at that one. "Because I've gotta say, if this time around is going to turn into me finding out everything last like it was before, I'm not looking forward to it. And I'm not even the target this time."

"It won't, but Law and Kid are smart and they know it's better to assemble the troops instead of telling everybody individually," Shanks pointed out rationally. "Which is where you come in. When's Ace getting back?"

"I'm surprised you don't already have his flight itinerary," Sanji muttered, irritable because he really needed a cigarette right now and he couldn't smoke in the restaurant proper. "Next weekend."

"Right. So after he gets in, we'll all meet…do you think Ms. Nefertari would mind if we used her house again?" Mihawk inquired and Sanji shrugged.

"Probably not. It's the biggest place any of us have got, so it makes the most sense," Sanji remembered the time they'd all tried to cram into Lucci and Kaku's little apartment and yeah, he'd rather have Vivi's spacious sitting room.

"Okay, so you get in touch with her, and then anybody that wants to help out that _isn't _named Luffy can come," Shanks said firmly.

"He's gonna hate you. I mean, Ace and Nami will be there…"

"I know," Shanks sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "And I know he's an adult and he can take care of himself, but I'm…protective of him, I guess. But fine, he can come."

"So I just…get in contact with everybody on my end and you'll take care of the rest? Why do we need to meet anyway?" Sanji crossed his legs and sat back in his chair, pulling his lighter out and flicking it idly.

"Because obviously there have to be rules and procedures laid down if you're going to assist in this mission. I can operate mostly outside the law, and so can those government dogs, but you're not licensed to kill and we need to be sure you know what's appropriate," Mihawk said this in a deadpan voice and Sanji gulped, because yeah, talk about death always made him a little uneasy.

"Understood. I'll drop by the bar and let you know the day and time and we'll go from there?" he asked Shanks, who nodded. "Cool."

"And Sanji? Bring us some food. _Your _food," Shanks grinned like he knew this would piss Zeff off royally, and it would, but Sanji didn't see any problem with that.

000

"Who was the first man you killed?"

"Morbid topic of conversation if I've ever heard one," Kaku mentioned idly, leaning onto Sanji's shoulder. "Why are you asking?"

"Just…something Mihawk said, that you're licensed to kill and we wouldn't be, but…"

"But I'm nice and cheerful and don't seem like I would hurt a fly, right?" Kaku laughed softly. "Sanji. You've seen me kill."

"Yeah, I was kind of more worried about the fact that _you were almost dead _than what you'd done to that guy. Who deserved it," he added.

"Does anybody really deserve death?" Kaku sounded thoughtful and Sanji reached to rub his shoulder. "Yes, I've killed. I don't get any pleasure from it, but sometimes when it comes down to my life or theirs, it has to be done. The first time…I was probably your age, it was…you've heard about the Crocodile case, yes?"

"Yeah," Sanji nodded. "Of course I have."

"It was during that time, Rob and I were assigned to subdue a small group of his underlings. It was my first or second mission with Cp9 and I _thought _I was doing well but I must have…tripped over something and by the time I regained my senses there was a man with a gun pointed straight at me and Rob was too far away to do anything, so I just…" he mimed throwing a sword and Sanji nodded in understanding. "And that was that. I was understandably shaken and Rob…well, let's just say he has…interesting methods of comforting people," Kaku sounded sly now and Sanji had to laugh, because yeah, he knew.

"That's how you became lovers?"

"Mm. And to answer your earlier question, yes, I try to be nice, but I am kind of sleeping with a sadist, so…make of that what you will," he didn't sound bitter and Sanji thought that he probably wasn't, at least not anymore.

"Speaking of that, what's sex with him _like? _I mean, in real life he's so…like, Zoro can be gruff and distant but he's got another side to him with people he really cares about. I've never seen that from Lucci," he knew he was prying now but the opportunity was too great to pass up.

"We are _not _talking about my sex life," Kaku decided quickly. "And no, I don't need to hear about yours."

"Come on, man, it's just a question," he nudged the other man gently with his elbow.

"I…okay. No, he's never going to be all warmth and dripping endearments, but he has ways to show he cares, and he's capable of love. I think. We're not…it's not about control with him, or else I probably wouldn't be okay with it. And that's all you're getting," he said firmly, standing up and moving to look out the window. "So. This weekend?"

"Yeah," Sanji agreed with a nod. "I'm picking Ace up from the airport and then heading over to Vivi's. You're gonna be there?"

"More than likely. Rob and Kalifa will be, too, and…if it's at Vivi's it shouldn't be a problem to get Iceburg there. He's…I think he's finding it's a lot harder to move around inconspicuously now that he's the mayor," he smiled, and Sanji knew they were all rather proud of that victory. Even though, looking back, it was probably inevitable.

They both turned as the door opened and Zoro wandered in, katana cases in hand.

"Hey, how was training?"

"Meh, fine. I really need a decent trainer, though, doing everything by myself isn't going to help me improve," he looked pointedly at Kaku here, who raised his hands and shrugged.

"I would, but I can't. You go hard, Zoro, and I could still probably beat you, but I don't want to push myself. I shouldn't even technically be working this job anymore but there's no way I'm letting it go," he added, and Sanji still felt guilty that it was because of him Kaku would never be as physically whole as he once was. "I know that look. Don't blame yourself," Kaku chastised him.

"Yeah, yeah," Sanji agreed quickly even though he knew Kaku wouldn't believe him.

"Regardless, I should go, but I'll see you both this weekend," he looked to Zoro, who nodded, and patted Sanji's shoulder before leaving the apartment.

"What were you guys talking about?" Zoro asked, wrapping his arms around Sanji from behind, and the blond didn't even have the heart to berate him for doing it when he was still all sweaty from the gym.

"Killing men. Sex with Lucci," he said and heard Zoro snicker in his ear.

"See, with most people I'd find that weird, but I've got an idea that with him those two things kind of go together," he noted and Sanji nodded.

"More than you know, Marimo. Anyway, you hungry?"

"For your food? Always."

"Good," Sanji kissed him quickly and pulled back. "Go shower and then we'll eat."

And as Zoro went to go do just that, he thought about how…_domestic _they were, and it made him rather happy to realize it.

000

"Hey, are you my only welcoming committee? I was expecting at least a sign!" Ace rushed out of the passenger area and scooped Sanji up, lifting him in the air as the other man squawked and tried to get his feet on the ground again. "I'm glad it's you," he added, finally putting the man down and wrapping him up in a normal hug that Sanji gladly returned.

He buried his nose against Ace's neck and held on, inhaling the other man's familiar smoky scent (he still had no idea _why _Ace constantly smelled like he'd just been sitting by a campfire, but it was comforting nonetheless). "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Ace assured him. "But man, I was only gone for like four months. You were in Japan for two fucking _years _and you made it."

"When I was in Japan I didn't know how…short life could be. And now I do," he replied. "How long are you staying?"

"A while. I mean, nothing much is going on over there during the winter and I think Smoker and I would drive each other crazy if I stuck around, so…" he shouldered his bag and swept his dark hair out of his eyes.

"So you and him…"

"Kind of. Maybe? It's complicated," Ace shrugged. "But anyway, no harm in taking a bit of a break!" he decided, arm snug around Sanji's waist as they walked.

"Ace, you need to wait for people!"

"Oh, whoops," Ace looked mildly embarrassed as he turned around and Sanji turned with him, the man who'd yelled after them sprinting up. He had a shock of blond hair and looked half-asleep even though Sanji could tell immediately that was deceiving, and there was something about him that made it impossible to tell how old he actually was. "Sanji, this is Marco."

"So you're the famous Sanji," Marco hefted his bag on his shoulder and grinned, holding out a hand that Sanji readily shook. "Ace won't shut up about you."

"I don't talk about him _that _often," Ace grumbled, heading toward the baggage corral as Marco chuckled and followed after him.

"Ace, we're heading straight to Vivi's, he can't…" Sanji started but Ace shook his head, arm snug around Sanji's waist again as they walked.

"He's fine. I don't think he works with the Navy or anything but Smoker basically sent him in his place since he can't get out of there right away. And if Smoker trusts him, I trust him, even if he's…I mean, I saw an old picture of him and he doesn't look like he's aged in the last twenty years even though that seems impossible, but otherwise he's going to be a big help to us," he said all of this in an undertone and Sanji nodded, because that was good enough for him.

And besides, he'd learned to trust his gut, and Marco wasn't giving off anything that made him wary.

Marco caught up to them, looking at Sanji and shrugging one shoulder. "You can trust me. Ace filled me in on the way here and while I'm not usually spending my time taking out criminal organizations, I'm more than happy to help out. And I hear-tell that our fighting styles are very similar, so if you ever need a training partner…" he stopped and Sanji looked at him appraisingly, because yeah, that would definitely be appreciated.

"I might take you up on that," he agreed, earning a rather hearty clap on his shoulder, and he decided that Marco was definitely somebody he could trust.

000

"Marco the Phoenix?"

"I guess?" Sanji shrugged, leaning over the balcony at Vivi's while they waited for everybody to show up. "I mean, I literally just met the guy."

"Why? You heard of him?" Zoro added, looking mostly unconcerned but Sanji could see that he was ready to leap up in an instant if the moment called for it.

"Have I ever, if it's the same man," Law crossed his arms and leaned on the rail beside Sanji, tapping his foot on the balcony floor. "From what I hear in the underground, he's a lot like myself, just operating on the other side of the country. Not really a government worker and not really a rogue, he's got a good sense of honor and his enemies fear him. He's powerful, Sanji, not just because he's incredibly strong and quick, but they say he's invincible. That's why they call him 'the Phoenix', because no matter what people throw at him, he just…rises up and keeps going."

"Don't tell me you believe those rumors," the man in question poked his head out of the doorway and ambled onto the deck himself. "Law Trafalgar, the Surgeon of Death. You've made quite a name for yourself as well."

"Perhaps," Law smirked. "I can assure you most of what you've heard is wildly exaggerated."

"And I could tell you the same thing," Marco replied, both of them looking at the other without _really_ looking, and Sanji stepped backward and stopped beside where Zoro was still apparently disinterested.

"They're sizing each other up," Zoro commented. "Anyway, you trust this guy?"

"Ace trusts him and Smoker trusts him, and that's all I've got to go on," Sanji said in an undertone. "But it would be nice if everything didn't turn into a pissing contest."

"I know I'm not really one to talk, but let them hash it out this way," Zoro suggested. "They're not gonna start fighting on the balcony, whatever they're up to."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Sanji admitted, letting out a long breath and lighting up a cigarette. "I'm just somebody who judges more on personality than strength."

"I like that about you, y'know," Zoro was still watching Marco and Law but Sanji looked down at him regardless. "I mean it. The fact that it doesn't matter how tough somebody is, if you think they're being a dick you'll kick their ass."

"Hmm, yeah, I will," Sanji conceded, and even though coming from most people that wouldn't seem like much, from Zoro it was pretty much an affirmation of love. "And I'll do the same to _them_ if they don't start acting civil."

"We're perfectly civil, Mr. Blackleg," Law promised. "You're loyal to us, though?"

"For the moment, yeah," Marco replied. "But it's not like I'm a criminal or anything, and I'm loyal to Ace so if this is his cause, I'm all in until the end."

"I'll accept that," Law pushed himself off the rail and walked over to Sanji and Zoro. "Let's head in. I know your friends are hardly ever punctual, but I hope they'll be here by now."

Sanji wasn't so sure, but he helped pull Zoro to his feet and went in regardless.

"You've got fucking CP9 on your side, that's hardcore," Marco hissed at him as they hit the lower levels of the home, and Sanji had to laugh because half the time he honestly forgot how many of his friends had, well, rather staggering reputations. "We don't have anything like them out on the east coast, but I've heard stories…"

"There are a lot of stories going around today," Sanji commented idly.

"The difference here is that I know the ones about them are true," the older (probably? Sanji _really _had no idea how old Marco was and it was kind of disconcerting) man told him bluntly.

"Marco the Phoenix," Kalifa was the one to approach them first. "Glad to have you on our side."

"You're about the first person I've met that hasn't been immediately suspicious, and I would have thought Cipher Pol agents would be more wary than most," Marco nodded to her and she smiled primly at him, but there was something dangerous about it as well.

"I don't need to be wary. If Lucci thought you were a threat you'd already be dead," she said sweetly, and to his credit Marco barely made any sign that the words had startled him, which Sanji found kind of impressive.

"I'll be grateful for that, then," he nodded to her and went into the parlor as everybody else piled in as well. Sanji had to brace himself for the tornado of Luffy and Chopper launching themselves at him, but Nami at least was quick to yank them off, and Sanji nodded his thanks at her and went to sit on one of the free couches, Zoro and Law flanking him like he needed the protection.

"Is everybody here?" Vivi stood up and looked around, and while it was hard to tell since the room was full of people, she must have figured it was close enough because she clapped her hands and nodded. "Alright, excellent. Let's begin."

**Notes:**

**1. **Yes, this is a full-fledged sequel now. I've got…four chapters written and I know where it's going for the most part so that's happening! Also, the fic has a title now. It's the title to another song by The Killers, since the previous fic had a song title from the same band so I thought I'd continue that :)

**2. **To my anon who reviewed the last chapter: yeah, I know it's probably really confusing to figure out character relationships and things if you haven't read the main story first! But then, it's over 100,000 words long and upon re-reading it there's a lot of things…mostly characterization-related, I'm still quite pleased with how the plot came together…I would change now that I've had five more years of writing experience! So if you don't want to slog your way through that, the story here should hold on its own and I'm trying to reference/recap events that happened in that story briefly so that certain things make sense here!

**3. **I think I kind of stopped paying attention to the manga last time before Marco was really introduced but he's badass so yes, Marco. Also looking at what happened in last week's chapter I see I picked a _very good time _to get back into reading it (this is heavily sarcastic, obviously).

**4. **I have a tumblr, if anybody's interested! It's at klainejolras dot tumblr dot com and it's kind of a multi-fandom mess but I'm trying to follow more one piece blogs so I can post more from that fandom, so check it out if you want :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** From Here On Out  
**Author:** AoiTsukikage  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Characters/Pairing:** ZoSan, other secondary pairings  
**Chapters:** 3/?  
**Word Count:** 3163  
**Summary:** Sequel to 'This Is Your Life.' Everything should be easier the second time around. Or, at least, that's what he thought before life decided to prove him wrong. ZoSan primarily, other secondary pairings.

**Chapter Three**

"First order of business…I think we all know each other, at least by name…"

"No you don't," Ace piped up. "Sorry, Vivi, but before anybody else asks, this is Marco, and you have my word that he's trustworthy," he rather dramatically placed his hand over his heart and she nodded at him.

"I trust you, Ace. But right, now that that's sorted…Robin, the floor is yours," she gestured and the older woman nodded gracefully to her, stepping out to the center of the room.

"Robin?" Zoro hissed to Sanji, who realized that it was probably a good thing.

"Yeah, can you imagine Lucci explaining this? He'd terrify everybody," he whispered back, and Zoro snickered because that much was true.

"I'm speaking on behalf of CP9 but you all know why you're here and what we're doing, and because the consensus is that the more people we have on our side the better, it was decided we'd explain it to everybody at once. Basically, when it comes to actually fighting, we can only attack in self-defence. We're trying to operate within the law here and while we might have a little leeway since the mayor is on our side," she nodded to Iceburg, who smiled back at her. "It would still be better to _not _do anything illegal. Of course this doesn't apply to…certain people in this room, but they know who they are," she finished, seating herself primly on the piano stool.

"Wait, we can't beat people up? That's lame," Luffy was pouting and Nami soundly elbowed him.

"Were you even listening? Yes, you can beat people up, but you can't do it for no reason!"

"Oh. Okay," Luffy blinked a couple of times and seemed satisfied with this answer.

"And don't go looking for trouble," Kaku added, not standing but everybody turned to him regardless. "This isn't your job, you're not obligated to help with this, and while you can rest assured we _will _call on your for assistance if we need to, don't try to take matters into your own hands. And Ace," he looked over at the man, who blinked innocently. "Try to, um, not burn things down."

"Hey, fire is a _very _effective way of convincing people not to mess with me," he grinned and Kaku rolled his eyes but didn't say anything else.

"And whatever any of you do, do _not _try to bring attention to yourselves. You all know what it was like last time when Sanji was targeted directly, and if you all can remain just a large network of anonymous helpers for our organization that would be preferable to Enel or his men knowing who you are, because that puts you in danger," Lucci spoke up, and as Sanji had predicted, every word he spoke sounded like a death knell. "Lay low, trust us, and hopefully this mission can be cleaned up with minimal bloodshed and no loss of life," he looked almost disappointed at that last part.

"But speaking of that, if anybody does get hurt, it would probably be in the best interest of all of us to not go a hospital for treatment if at all possible," Kalifa added. "We have enough people with medical expertise here that they should be able to cover things quite well."

"Yeah, Kaya and I might still be students but my mom won't say no to helping anybody if we go to her," Chopper piped in.

"And if something happens and you can't get to help from there immediately, I'm more than capable of handling things," Law was tapping his fingers idly on his knee and Sanji saw a few surprised glances because, just like he hadn't known, he had a feeling the fact that Law possessed a good deal of medical knowledge wasn't something a lot of people realized.

"Well, looks like we're well-prepared, in any case," Robin stood up and moved to sit beside Franky, her husband giving her a thumbs-up as she smiled at him and then looked back at the rest of the room. "Is that everything?"

"I think so," Vivi nodded. "And I know the real reason you all come over here is because…"

"_Food!" _Luffy shrieked, barrelling toward the kitchen with Nami hot on his heels trying to ward him off, and Vivi sighed and rubbed her temples because really they should all just expect this by now.

000

"So what's the deal with Marco?"

"You're double-teaming me, which is unfair, and I don't think I have to answer any of your questions if you're going to bully me into it," Kaku perched himself on the edge of the fountain, one knee drawn up to his chest, and the look he gave Sanji and Zoro was completely impassive. "Besides, who says I have any information on Marco?"

"Kalifa, when she told us that he'd already be dead if you didn't trust him. So, why should we trust him?" Zoro had his arms crossed and was tapping his foot idly on the ground, a habit that Sanji realized with a start he must have picked up from _him _because he sure couldn't remember Zoro doing that before.

"Of course she did," Kaku looked skyward and then lay back on the concrete, pillowing his hands behind his head and staring up at the clouds. "He's part of the reason that Smoker and Ace went out East in the first place. A long time ago, certainly before any of us were around, there was a man known as Whitebeard who was rather well-known in the Toronto area. There were rumors of mafia ties and whatnot but nothing was ever proven, and while he became notorious they never found anything that proved he was engaging in criminal activity.

"A couple of years ago, he reappeared out East, and this only added to the whole mafia theory, but he's got…'sons', he calls them, although they're not related. Nobody's quite sure if they're orphans or just wayward souls that he's taken under his wing, but we've been watching him for a while now and, like I said, nothing suspicious is going on at all," he frowned then and turned his head sideways so he could look at the other two men.

"So Marco…"

"Is one of his 'sons', yes. The leader of them, from what I've heard, and he does…well, he does what Kid and Law do, essentially, a sort of justice vigilante, but as long as he's not overstepping we're not going to interfere with what they're doing. If it keeps people safe, that's all we really want," he sounded thoughtful now. "Anyway, that's what I know about him. I know you're worried about him getting close to Ace and hurting him," he directed this to Sanji, who couldn't even deny it because, well, he was. "But it doesn't look like you'll have anything to fear."

"Right. Thanks," Sanji pursed his lips and debated pulling out another cigarette, but he knew he should really lay off and he'd been smoking more than normal lately because, well, stress. Stress he'd asked for and that he enjoyed, but still.

"Next time bother Kalifa if you want information. I'm not your personal encyclopedia," Kaku sounded half-asleep and Sanji exchanged a grin with Zoro because they both knew the other man had no problems with it at all.

"C'mon, _Marimo," _Sanji lightly touched Zoro's shoulder and steered him to another area of the large patio, leaning on the rail and watching the boats in the distant channel zip back and forth. "What's on your mind?"

"Not much. Just kinda itching for some action. It's been too long," Zoro's fingers were twitching like he was ready to draw the _katana _that weren't there, but Sanji could tell that he'd been getting antsy lately.

"You'll get it, I'm sure. I just hope we don't get more than we're bargaining for," he sighed and Zoro wrapped his arms around him from behind, his chin resting on Sanji's shoulder.

"Hey, stop worrying. I think we've all proven that we're way tougher than people think and no shitty wannabe-god is gonna take us down," he moved enough that the force of it caused his earrings to jingle, the chimes ringing through the still air, and Sanji nodded because of course Zoro was right. "We've got a lot of freakishly strong people on our side, and a lot of freakishly smart people, and nobody's gonna come close to matching all of us there."

"I know," Sanji assured him, because that much at least was true. They were an incredibly unconventional group of people that under normal circumstances probably all wouldn't be acquainted or, well, maybe not have ever met, but for whatever reason what they had was working and he could only hope it kept on that way. "I guess I just can't help feeling that one of these days our luck's gonna run out."

"Yeah, maybe, but that's what makes it fun," he could tell Zoro was grinning and he reached back to lightly smack the other man's hip. "Hey, you know I'd never do anything stupid. I've got too much to live for," he was quiet, then, and while Sanji had a feeling he was probably talking more about beating Mihawk and avenging Kuina's memory, there was a part of him that believed that maybe _he _was included, too.

000

"Ace, Luffy said…shit!" Sanji slammed the door and turned around, back pressed against the wall as he slumped against it. "I should have known. Fuck, _why _didn't I know? Of course I knew, it's so fucking obvious, why…" he knew he was muttering to himself and probably sounded insane, but it was better than thinking about the alternative. Not, of course that the alternative was so horrible, of course not,, but it wasn't something he wanted to fixate on at the moment.

"Sanji, crap, sorry!" Ace rushed out, still half-dressed and scratching the back of his neck as he laughed nervously. "Luffy told me you weren't coming over until later."

"Yeah, um, I didn't expect…" Sanji gestured vaguely to the bedroom. "So is this part of the reason he came along with you?"

"No!" Ace said, too quickly, and then blushed. "I mean, not really? He's an amazing fighter and he's got a reputation, that's why he's here. This is...look, don't tell anybody, okay?" he urged and Sanji raised his eyebrow.

"Why not? It's not like anybody's going to judge you," he was a little confused at the request, but it wasn't as if he was going to go blabbing it out to everybody.

"You should know."

Sanji looked toward the bedroom door and met Marco's eyes, and the other blond was still disheveled but at least fully-clothed now.

"I keep telling you, it doesn't matter," Ace pouted and sank into the chair next to Sanji, resting his chin on his hand. "I mean, Sanji and Zoro are together and everybody knows about it."

"I just think it's dangerous to be involved when you're trying to take down a criminal organization. It's dangerous to have a lover working in the same field," Marco was giving them both a look like this should be The Most Obvious Thing Ever and seemed a little put-out when Sanji started to snicker. "What's so funny?"

"Tell that to Lucci and `Kaku. Or Law and Kid," he added and Marco for once looked completely awake as he turned to him in obvious shock.

"You're serious?"

"Yeah. I mean, no, they don't broadcast it, but it's not a secret with any of them," he explained quickly. "And besides, everybody will be happy that Ace has found somebody. Although I thought you and Smoker…"

"No," Ace said with a rueful shake of his head. "I mean, I'd considered it, but we're much better off as friends. Frenemies. Whatever we are," he grinned. "Besides, maybe you were right when you told me he was a little too old for me."

Sanji cleared his throat and looked over at Marco because he wasn't quite sure how Ace could say that when none of them had any idea whatsoever how old _Marco _was, but Ace didn't seem concerned about that.

"And, I mean, I should have guessed. I really should have, but maybe I was ignoring the signs," Sanji pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, passing it to Ace when he held out his hand.

"I still don't know _why _you were so traumatized, I mean it's not like you've never seen me naked before," Ace looked entirely too smug now and Sanji kicked his shin under the table. "Hey!"

"It was surprising, that's all. You know we were…" he turned to Marco, who nodded. "Okay. Ace likes to bring it up a little too often."

"Because, despite the fact that you're smoking hot, I claim the honor of the being the first and still one of the only people to have ever had sex with you, and I take that very seriously," he passed the smoke back and Sanji inhaled gratefully, not really wanting to have this conversation with somebody he still didn't know very well in the room.

"It's fine, Sanji," Marco assured him, coming over and resting a hand on his shoulder. "And I know you're protective of Ace, but you can trust me."

"I do," Sanji told him truthfully. "I don't exactly know why, but I do."

"Not that it's a good thing, but I've got the feeling you've had to learn to read people almost instantly," Marco finally relaxed enough that he took a seat, perching backward on the chair and bracing his arms on the back of it. "I know you know about me."

"Just what CP9 told me," Sanji replied slowly. "If they know more they're not revealing it, and I haven't seen Kaku enough lately to corner him and drag it out of him," he smirked and Marco laughed and wrapped his arms tighter around the chair.

"I didn't think CP9 listened to anybody," he looked moderately impressed.

"That's just Lucci. The rest of them aren't nearly as terrifying on a regular basis. At least, the ones I've met," he amended, because he was fairly sure there were a few he hadn't ever been introduced to personally (although from what Kalifa had told him, Fukurou and Kumadori were perhaps even stranger than all the others, and their real 'boss' was, in her own words, 'a pervert who one day I am going to charge and successfully convict of sexual harassment,' so Sanji let the subject go after that one).

"Yeah, we've heard a lot of stories about Rob Lucci. Even Whitebeard seems to think he's a force to be reckoned with, and ol' Pops isn't scared of anybody," he had a fond look in his eyes that told Sanji just how much he cared about this 'Whitebeard'.

"I've been learning over the past couple of days that reputation can be a powerful weapon," Sanji noted, and Marco nodded in agreement. Ace had been silent for a while now and Sanji looked to him, getting a half-hearted smile in return. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing major, just…we've gotta tell everybody to cool it down starting next week. The Admirals are in town and I dunno if they know anything about what's going on, but…" he crossed his arms and leaned back.

"Wait, Garp's a Vice-Admiral, right? So these are…"

"Technically his commanding officers, but since Gramps is always in charge of the base here he doesn't have much to do with them," the dark-haired man replied. Sanji sometimes wondered why Ace still bothered to call Garp 'Gramps' when they weren't actually related, but it was probably habit.

Well, that, or Marco didn't know who Ace actually was, which might be a possibility, too.

"So what's the problem?"

"I've met them before and…Aokiji and Kizaru are fine enough, I guess. They've got their quirks and they do their job but they're not…you know, they're fair people. Akainu…I don't like him," Ace looked strangely haunted and Sanji leaned forward instinctively to grab his hand. "He just…he's ruthless to anybody he thinks is opposing him, and I don't know why he scares me but he does. And since none of us are really…abiding by the laws anyway here I don't want them to have any reason to come after us," he was rarely this earnest and Sanji nodded, squeezing his hand lightly.

"Okay. I'll get word out to Lucci somehow and we'll let them know to lay low. And if I can find Law I'll tell him, but that man can disappear without a trace and sometimes I can't get a hold of him at all," Sanji hoped that Law knew enough to stay out of trouble, but there were times he still couldn't help but wonder.

"Yeah. That'd be great," Ace looked marginally happier now. "I'd just rather not run into him if I can help it."

"We'll make sure you don't," Marco put in firmly, and Ace smiled at him. "But speaking of…Sanji, how much do you actually trust Trafalgar?" he looked alert and concerned and Sanji kind of wondered what _exactly _Marco had against Law but he obviously couldn't guess at that.

"I trust him with my life," he said firmly, and it was true. "I've…he's given me no reason _not _to trust him and he's helped me out a lot. Besides, I thought we were done believing rumors," he couldn't help but add and Marco smiled grimly and shook his head.

"It's not a rumor. Your CP9 friends are the ones that took out Doflamingo, right?" he leaned forward and Sanji nodded, because that was what they had been doing in Calgary when they'd literally disappeared from his life for about ten months. "It's…well, it's a fact that Law used to work for him."

"No shit," Sanji leaned back, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side because _that _wasn't expected. "But he doesn't anymore…"

"Well, presumably not," Marco admitted. "Still…"

"Yeah. I mean, I don't think he'd ever do anything to hurt me, but I guess it might not hurt to look into it a little more," Sanji admittedly grudgingly. As much as he did like Law, it was probably better to be safe and Marco at least had enough people vouching for him that Sanji had no reason to distrust him at all. Law was…well, he'd always been kind of an enigma, showing up at the right places at the exact right times, but that didn't mean he was playing both sides of the fence. "I know Mihawk knows Doflamingo, so maybe he'd know more."

"I guess it can't hurt to ask," Ace was looking marginally happier after everything and Sanji glanced from one man to the other before standing up.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone to get back to…you know…" he winked and saluted before leaving the apartment, and he could hear Ace laughing behind him as he went.

**Notes:**

**1. **I've got…five or six chapter of this written so far, so hopefully I can update a little more frequently after this! Also, I know I'm behind because I was out of the fandom for a few years, but having somebody to pair Ace up with is making me happy so yes, that's happening ;)

**2. **I don't know if anybody's reading this because I'm getting very little feedback, and I realize that most people who followed the first story in this series are probably out of the fandom by now but I'd still like to know what you think, and if there are plot questions or anything you need clarification on hit me up over on tumblr at trafalgars dot co dot vu and I'll answer them!


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** From Here On Out  
**Author:** AoiTsukikage  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Characters/Pairing:** ZoSan, other secondary pairings  
**Chapters:** 4/?  
**Word Count:** 3058  
**Summary:** Sequel to 'This Is Your Life.' Sanji had thought that balancing real life and working to take down a new crime boss would be easier the second time around. He was wrong. Modern!AU, ZoSan primarily, other secondary pairings.

**Chapter Four**

"You think he's right?"

"I mean, I don't want him to be, but…" Sanji leaned back against Zoro and pursed his lips, his fingers flexing on the other man's thigh. "I really don't want him to be. But no matter how much I like somebody, if they're double-crossing us I'm not gonna show them any mercy,," he decided, hearing Zoro laugh behind him.

"You try to be so tough, Cook, but I know you'd never be able to hurt anybody you really considered a friend. And so what if he worked for Doflamingo? Gin worked for Krieg and he's an okay guy. And Robin and that freaky cross dresser worked for Crocodile," he pointed out, and Sanji had to agree because, well, he might not be alive if it hadn't been for Gin, and when it came down to it the same was true where Robin and Bon were concerned.

"Yeah, you're right. It's probably nothing," he admitted, although inwardly he still knew he had to do a little bit of investigating. He doubted that Lucci would be okay with Law working with them if he wasn't trustworthy, but he still needed to find out for himself.

"Hey," Zoro nudged him, his arms wrapping around Sanji's waist as he leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "I can think of a way to take your mind off of all of this for a while…"

"You know, for somebody who used to have no interest in sex, you're certainly getting good at thinking with your dick," Sanji replied, but it was entirely good-natured and Zoro's answering chuckle told him that he knew.

"Is that a 'yes', Cook?" Zoro asked quietly, his voice almost a growl, and Sanji shivered without meaning to and flipped himself around so that he was straddling the other man. He cupped Zoro's cheeks and pulled him up for a kiss, holding him there for a few moments before breaking away.

"Yeah. That's a yes."

000

He decided to head into the bar at the tail-end of the lunch rush and it turned out to be a good move. It was empty enough that Shanks wasn't getting bombarded for drinks so Sanji would be able to have a conversation with him, and either he was extremely lucky or else Mihawk just…never left, because the swordsman was seated at the bar, looking disinterested as Sanji took in the woman sitting right beside him.

She was stunning, and he felt his heartbeat quicken even as he told himself to keep his composure, but he wasn't _blind _and this lady, whoever she was, had to be the most gorgeous person he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Sanji!" Shanks' yell broke him out of his musings and he walked quickly over, taking a stool on the other side of Mihawk and nodding at him. "What brings you here?"

"Just…got a couple of questions to ask," he pitched his voice in a way that he hoped conveyed that these questions weren't for outside ears, but both of the older men looked unfazed by it.

"Anything you need to ask us you can ask Hancock, too," Shanks assured him. "Sanji, _this _is Hancock Boa, and I think we're all grateful she's on our side in this."

"I am," she replied, primly crossing her legs and giving Sanji a smile that nearly had him melting over the bar. "And I've heard a lot about you and your adventures. I would have been here to help last time but I had…business to attend to."

The way she said 'business' made Sanji immediately think that she didn't mean an innocent trip, and it kind of surprised him how little that type of thing fazed him anymore.

"So what did you need to ask?" Mihawk prompted, and Sanji stopped staring at Hancock long enough to answer.

"Oh! Right. I was talking to Marco, and he said that Law…used to work for Doflamingo. I thought that since you know him you'd know more about that," he explained, and Mihawk narrowed his strange golden eyes before looking downward and sighing.

"Marco's right. All I know is that at one time Law was…fairly close to Doflamingo, certainly one of his highest-ranked men, and that Doflamingo looked at him almost like a little brother. I don't know if he was being bred to inherit his gang at some point, but regardless, somewhere along the way something happened and they hate each other now. In fact, I'd hazard a guess that the reason Law's out here at all is to stay far away from Doflamingo, because word on the street is that he betrayed him somehow. Anything else you'd need to ask him about, because I don't know," the man admitted and Sanji was silent for a moment, accepting the glass of wine Shanks passed him and swirling it thoughtfully as he pieced everything together.

"So what does that mean?" he finally asked, and Hancock cleared her throat and answered.

"If you ask me, you can trust him. I don't…put my faith in men easily, Sanji, but I do know Law and he's never done anything to make me believe he's anything other than what he says he is. He's got a dark past, perhaps, but I think many of us do," her words implied that she herself did as well but Sanji was hardly going to inquire about that. "Regardless, I don't blame this other friend of yours for being wary, but while I think Law's capable of…terrible things, I don't think he'd betray you without a very good reason."

Sanji was having a hard time concentrating on her words because she was just _so beautiful, _but he managed to pay attention long enough to absorb what was needed and, since it fit with his own feelings, decided that it was probably the truth.

"Right. Thanks," he added, and she gave him another heartbreaking smile as he stared down into his wine glass and tried not to think about it.

"Anyway, if you ever need my help, you've got it," Hancock assured him, and Sanji had a feeling he was going to be grateful to have her around as well.

"I think what's the most troublesome right now is that we know next to nothing about Enel. Krieg at least was well-established and had enough supporters that it was easy to find information on him, and it wasn't as if he made a secret of how many guns he had or that he was coating things in snake venom. This guy, though…" Mihawk was staring straight ahead as if he could see something none of the rest of them could.

"Yeah. He seems to be pretty new to the city, from what I've heard, and nobody knows how he's convincing people to go along with him but he's obviously got some sort of influence. I think that's why Law and Kid have been gone so much, they're trying to find out all they can but it's not going to be easy," Shanks added. "And until we find out anything more it's too dangerous to move against him. All we really know is that he's got a humongous ego but so far he's not getting overconfident."

"That might change," Hancock put in. "By now, everybody in the underground knows what happened to Krieg and Doflamingo and Crocodile, so if he has any brains at all he and whomever he's convinced to follow him will be working as low-key as they can to avoid detection from CP9. Which may be to our advantage because if they don't know we're aware of their existence, they might be more willing to give out information to your friends, since they won't suspect that anybody's working against them yet," she said to Sanji, who realized that it did make sense.

"I've been trying to call both of them for a couple of days now and haven't gotten any reply, so…."

"Yeah, well, 'excuse me, I need to take a call from a guy who's working to take you down' isn't a very good excuse," a voice behind Sanji intoned flatly and he spun around, eyes widening. Kid looked as happy as ever (that is to say, the complete opposite of it) and Shanks was passing a pint of beer over before he could even say the word that he wanted one. "So. Enel."

"Yeah, what've you got on him?" Shanks asked, leaning forward interestedly.

"Not much more, except we know what his main weapons are and it's…it's not gonna be easy to get rid of him," he narrowed his eyes and hopped up beside Sanji, downing about half his beer in one go before elaborating. "Electricity. I guess a few years back the US Government created a type of taser-like pellet, essentially, that can be fired from a gun, and well, he's got some of those. So we're not up against bullets, we're up against something that's going to paralyze and maybe kill on contact, and that's fucking scary," he didn't look scared, but then, he never really did.

"So they've got electric guns. Fantastic," Shanks' voice was dripping sarcasm. "I'm guessing they're illegal?"

"Highly. They've never been approved, and with good reason, because if they fall into the wrong hands…" he shrugged. "And my idiot boyfriend is digging himself in way too deep but he won't listen to me about it," he sniffed and looked over at Sanji, who blinked. "Meh, he's fine," he spoke with apparent disinterest and finished off the rest of his drink. "Anyway, I've gotta get down to City Hall and tell one of those CP9 bastards about this, but thanks for the drink," he started digging in his pocket but Shanks waved him off.

"It's fine. One of the perks of owning the place," the older man said with a grin.

"Cool. Anyway, Sanji, you coming with?" he looked expectant, like there was something he needed to talk to Sanji about, and since the blond was pretty much finished with what he'd come to the bar for he carefully sipped the rest of his wine and nodded.

"Yeah, I need to tell them something, too," he added, because he did have to relay Ace's information about the Admirals being in town. "Thanks," he nodded to Shanks and Mihawk, meaning the information, and then steeled himself before taking Hancock's hand and kissing the back of it as she trilled a laugh at him.

He was trying very, very hard not to focus on the softness and warmth of her skin, but honestly, you'd have to be blind not to see how captivating she was. He left the bar with Kid, and they were a couple of streets away before the other man handed him a piece of paper that, from what Sanji could see, only had an address written on it.

"What's this for?"

"Law's house. In case you can't get a hold of those doctor friends of yours or if it's something you want him to deal with. He's got more surgery experience than anything but that might be useful," he stopped beside a rather nondescript black sedan, nothing like Sanji would imagine him driving but he guessed it was probably beneficial to be inconspicuous.

He got into the passenger's side once Kid unlocked the door, turning the paper over in his hand before entering the address into his phone and slipping it back inside his pocket. "He doesn't mind you giving this out?"

"To you? He asked me to," Kid pulled away from the curb as they headed through downtown to get to City Hall. His painted nails were gripping the steering wheel tighter than what Sanji would consider normal, and there was something far too tense about the way he was sitting.

"You're worried."

"Fuck, of course I am," Kid growled. "I know I might not act like it sometimes, but I do love him. I cover it up with scaring people and he covers it up with indifference but we've _gotta _do that or else we become dangers to each other and that's not happening," he decided, taking the next corner a little too recklessly. "I know I'm probably way easier to read than he is, he's…smart. Too smart, sometimes, but he wouldn't be alive if he wasn't."

Sanji had a feeling there was more to that statement than face-value but he let it go, chalking it up to just one more thing he didn't quite know about Law.

"Anyway, shred that or something once you get home, I don't want anybody finding out where his house is," Kid grunted and Sanji nodded, slipping it into his pocket for safekeeping.

They were silent until they'd pulled up outside City Hall, the tires screeching as Kid slid into a reserved parking spot, but nobody was around to try and get them to move and, well, Sanji figured they probably had priority.

The woman at the front desk directed them to a boardroom of sorts, and Sanji pushed open the door to find what he assumed to be the _entirety _of CP9 (except of course Kaku and Lucci, that figured,) involved in some sort of squabble.

Well, three of them were: Jyabura, a man who appeared to be dressed in full _kabuki _attire, and another rather large and round man who was flailing rather uselessly at them. Kalifa looked about a second away from kicking them all through the window and Blueno, as always, was entirely expressionless.

"Can it, fools!" Kalifa finally shouted, and the three of them looked at her. "Or are you so unprofessional that you keep fighting when we have company?" she pointed.

"It's just Sanji," Jyabura grinned at him and Sanji smiled hesitantly back, but suddenly he was swarmed by the other two and he took a step back as Kid started snickering behind him.

"_Yoyoi! _So _you _are the famous _San_ji!" the _kabuki-_costumed man intoned, his voice full of strange inflections.

"_Chapapa! _They all told us we could never meet you because we'd scare you!" the other man's voice was surprisingly high-pitched and Sanji laughed nervously.

"And you are, so you two go…do whatever it is you do, and let us speak to him," Kalifa grumbled, but the two men apparently considered this an order and bustled out of the room, something which Sanji was grateful for. "I told you you wouldn't want to meet them."

"Um," was all Sanji could get out, because for as…eccentric (or, well, plain sadistic, in Lucci's case) as the rest of CP9 were, they had nothing on these guys.

"Ignore them. And come in, I'm guessing this isn't a friendly visit," she seated herself on a long couch and Sanji took a seat beside her, looking at Kid.

"You want to start?"

"Yeah. I probably should."

000

"That's…unexpected."

"That's a fucking understatement. Sorry," Kid added hastily but Iceburg waved it off. They'd managed to get the mayor out of some meeting or other and while none of them knew where Kaku and Lucci were (oh, Jyabura quite loudly suggested a couple of things, but Kalifa actually _did _kick him for that), they could inform them later.

"Nmaa, don't worry about it, I hear worse all the time with this crew," Iceburg shrugged, but he did look concerned. "And you're right, Mr. Eustass, those guns are definitely not approved in Canada so that's at least enough to arrest him for right there."

"If we can catch the bastard," Jyabura added. "We don't even know what he looks like!"

"We're working on that," Kid promised. "It might take a little bit of time, but if anybody can worm his way in there, it's Law."

"Speaking of time," Sanji cleared his throat. "I came along because Ace told me the Navy Admirals are in town so it might be best to…"

"Not let them know we're trying to covertly take out a gang lord? Probably," Kalifa admitted. "We'll lay low."

"And at the very least Garp knows what we're doing and I doubt he'd go giving that information out," Blueno spoke, his bass voice rumbling through the room.

"Akainu's coming. That's what the issue is."

Sanji turned around to see Lucci leaning casually in the doorway, Hattori immediately diving for Sanji's shoulder and taking up his perch there.

"Ace is…I've never seen him worried before, but…"

"The man is possibly more ruthless than I am, which is an asset when working in the name of justice, but he's reckless and I'm….quite sure there've been a few times where he's moved too fast and done more damage than necessary," he walked into the room and sat down, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the chair. "Admirals on one side and electric guns on the other. This is a new one."

"Nmaa, we've got it under control. Mr. Eustass and Mr. Trafalgar will keep up their work in the underground and the rest of us will cease all suspicious activities until the Admirals leave," Iceburg made it sound so _simple, _even though Sanji had long learned that things never quite turned out that way.

"Robbie, where's your boytoy?" Jyabura asked then and Lucci sighed, annoyance rolling off him in waves even though his expression didn't change.

"I don't own him, he can come and go as he pleases. By the way, how are things with you and that secretary…"

"I'll fucking kill you!"

"And these are your elite government agents," Kid murmured to Sanji, who had to stifle his laughter because, well, at the moment they were acting more like squabbling children and he could see why Kid would be having some doubts.

There was a startling 'crack' that was loud even over Lucci and Jyabura snarling at each other, and they all turned to Kalifa who was brandishing her rather imposing spiked whip as she coiled it up neatly and held it loosely in one hand. "Now. Don't make me do that again."

"Of course you won't have to. I promise to behave if this unruly mutt does," Lucci stared coolly at Jyabura before taking his own seat. "And Sanji, we'll stay out of trouble while the Admirals are here, don't worry."

Sanji didn't exactly believe him, but then, he'd been around these guys long enough by now to know that at least they'd _try, _and that would have to be enough.

**Notes:**

**1.** I've got one more chapter of this done and then parts of two others written that I'm going to try and piece together over Christmas, so hopefully I should be able to update soon :) Also, yes, the electric guns are a real thing; you can check them out on Wikipedia.

**2. **I don't want to be one of those people that demands reviews, but as a writer it's very helpful to hear feedback and engage with readers because it makes me feel like I'm not just writing for myself. I know how many people are reading this fic because of the hit counter, and it's encouraging to know that it's because it's enjoyable and not just because people keep clicking on it by accident so…if you feel so inclined, please drop me a review! I do reply to all signed ones personally :)

**3. **Um, if anybody's interested, I used to do these like picspam-recaps in which I attempted to be funny of some of the episodes, and I did one for last night's episode because it's a mini-filler arc and why not, so if you want to check that out it's at my LJ which is aoitsukikage dot livejournal dot com / 204659 dot html


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** From Here On Out  
**Author:** AoiTsukikage  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Characters/Pairing:** ZoSan, other secondary pairings  
**Chapters:** 5/?  
**Word Count:** 3437  
**Summary:** Sequel to 'This Is Your Life.' Sanji had thought that balancing real life and working to take down a new crime boss would be easier the second time around. He was wrong. Modern!AU, ZoSan primarily, other secondary pairings.

**Chapter Five**

"Hey, _Marimo, _you up for a little trip?"

"What's going on?" Zoro looked up from where he was….studying, apparently, although Sanji was shocked because Zoro really didn't _ever _study, but well, good for him. "Trouble?"

"I know your swords are itching for blood…I mean, if I'm supposed to believe you…"

"It's cursed, okay, it hums when I haven't fought with it in a while!" Zoro protested, and Sanji had to admit that with everything going on maybe cursed, humming swords were the least of his problem.

"No, not trouble," Sanji plopped himself in the other man's lap and Zoro sighed regretfully. "Paulie sent me a text and said he's got some important news about what the Admirals are doing in town, but he wants us to come up to the Marina so he can tell us there and not have to leave work. That sound good?" he asked, and Zoro nodded and shoved his book aside.

"Well, more interesting than studying, anyway," he stretched his arms above his head and Sanji leaned in to kiss him, ruffling his hair when he pulled away and getting a rather irritated glare in return.

"Oh, like it's even possible to mess up your hair," he stood up and held out his hand, Zoro placing his own in it and letting Sanji lead him from their apartment.

000

"YOU MUST BE SANJI AND ZORO! HI!"

_"_Um…hello?" Sanji took a step back because the man who'd come to greet them, aside from being abnormally large, was also abnormally _loud _and Sanji thought that everybody in North Vancouver had probably heard that shout. He was followed by another man who seemed to have an unruly spike of hair sticking straight out of his head, and at least this man spoke at a normal volume.

"I'll go get Paulie for you guys, although he probably already knows you're here…"

"Tilestone! Lulu! Get back to work," Paulie himself came stalking out of the dock area, a cigar in his mouth as he jerked his thumb toward the ships. "And tell that freak to get down offa there before he hurts himself."

Tilestone opened his mouth to yell and Sanji instinctively covered his ears, but luckily it wasn't necessary as a figure back-flipped off of the highest point of the tallest yacht in the shipyard and landed perfectly, wiping his hands off on a towel attached to his belt-loops before sprinting over.

"Should have known," Sanji shook his head and Kaku grinned at him.

"I'd hug you both but I'm probably covered in grease so maybe we should forgo that for the present moment," Kaku replied. "And besides, you knew Rob and I help out here now and again." He started walking toward the exit and Sanji looked toward Paulie, who nodded.

"I figured we could head over to the Quay and grab a coffee or something. There's not really a comfortable place to sit and chat here," he gestured around the area and Sanji had to admit he was right. "Besides, Tilestone and Lulu can be idiots, but they're more than capable of runnin' the place until I get back."

"Great," Zoro set his hand on Sanji's waist and steered him out of the shipyard and across the way to the shopping area. They got their drinks and headed outside, the weather still mild enough even in early December that it was pleasant to be outdoors, and once they were seated Paulie cleared his throat and started to talk.

"So. You guys probably know that we do a fair bit of work on government and coast guard vessels and the like, and this morning Luffy's gramps came in to get one of his boats serviced and ended up tellin' me a little bit about what the Admirals are doin' in town. Seems like there's some criminal they're after that, unlike the guys we seem to get here, wants to make a name for himself _everywhere _and they've been tipped off he's in the Vancouver area so they're checkin' it out," he explained, causing Sanji to sigh heavily.

"Great. So one crime boss isn't enough."

"Yeah, well, let the Navy handle this guy. Sounds like he wants to be the next Roger or something; a guy that goes by the name of Blackbeard," he sniffed and Zoro sat up straighter.

"Blackbeard? Like the famous pirate?" he narrowed his eyes and Paulie nodded.

"Guess so. Anyway, that's not the worst of it. This Akainu fella that came with Garp…he's serious business, and I'm worried about him. I dunno if he had some grudge against Roger or what, but he's not out here just lookin' for Blackbeard. I guess it's a pretty common rumor that Roger had a son, and that his son might possibly live here…"

"Wait," Sanji held up a hand. "Even if this guy theoretically had a son, what can Akainu do? It's not like you can arrest somebody or have them charged just because they're _related _to a criminal!" he tried to keep his voice impassive although he could see that Zoro and Kaku both looked concerned as well.

"Yeah, well, Garp kind of implied that Akainu plays by his own rules, and he's tryin' to throw him off the trail, but I guess a lot of Roger's old buddies still live in the area. Including your pal Shanks," he added, and Sanji absorbed that bit of information without even really being surprised by it. Shanks, he knew, was much more than a humble bartender.

"So you're saying he _did _have a son?" Zoro asked impassively and Paulie snorted.

"Cut the crap, you guys, I've been friends with Iceburg and CP9 for years. Iceburg and Franky's mentor even built a _ship _for Roger so I know all about him and while, yeah, he did some bad shit and he was greedy, he wasn't some sort of monster," he sat back, looking surly and puffing away on his cigar, and Sanji lit a cigarette of his own and looked out at the harbour.

"So you know that his son…"

"Ace, yeah," Paulie shrugged. "Nobody's gonna hear it from me, but it'd probably be better if Akainu never finds out. I mean, like you said, he can't really _do _anything, but I'm sure he'll try,"

"Ace already doesn't like the guy, and that's just from meeting him one time. I guess he's got good intuition," Sanji looked over at Kaku, who'd been rather uncharacteristically silent this whole time. "So?"

"No, I think Paulie's right. I've heard the name Blackbeard before but we need to focus on what we're doing right now, and it's probably better if we don't interfere with the Navy regardless. Yes, some of them are on our side, but since we're not exactly…operating within the law, it's probably for the best that we don't flaunt what we're doing," he shrugged. "And I can't speak for anything to do with Roger since I was barely a toddler when he died, but Ace from what I've heard wants nothing to do with his name. And, since Ace's mother didn't really make a habit of flaunting who her lover was, I don't think his name will draw any suspicion his way."

"Okay. Cool," Sanji sipped at his drink and pursed his lips, the wind ruffling his hair are he looked around the outdoor area. "And these…friends of Roger's?"

"Shanks won't talk, you know that," Paulie replied. "And I'm sure any of his other buddies have no love for the Navy, so we're probably okay there. Just…you know, stay out of trouble until they're gone."

"Yeah, okay," Zoro conceded, crossing his arms and looking a little less than happy although Sanji knew that was pretty much his normal expression.

"Kaku, did Lucci tell you about…"

"Enel's weapons? Yes. You heard anything else from Law and Kid recently?" he looked curious but Sanji shook his head.

"Nah, both of them really only get a hold of me when they feel like it, and it's been a few days. I'm sure if they find out anything important they'll tell us, but there's not much we can do in the meantime," he checked his phone on instinct but there was still nothing, and he really had to stop worrying because he knew those boys could take care of themselves.

"Right, then. So we lay low for a while and let them keep working underground, and once the Admirals have moved on we can focus on Enel again," Kaku nodded decisively and Sanji knew that his word was pretty much final. Yes, Lucci could override him, but Sanji knew them well enough by now to know that he never would because though he'd never say it, he trusted Kaku's judgment implicitly.

"I hope they don't stay long," Zoro sighed, sounding disappointed that they weren't heading into battle straight away, and Sanji leaned against his shoulder and thought that he kind of felt the same way.

000

"So I was right to not like the guy," Ace wrinkled his nose and slumped over Sanji's kitchen table, although for once Sanji knew that he hadn't just fallen asleep out of nowhere.

"Yeah. I mean, it doesn't sound like he has any idea who you are, but it's probably better if you don't meet him again," Sanji turned back from the stove, a wooden spoon in his hand that he gestured with idly as he spoke.

"I don't get it," Luffy was seated _on _the table and Sanji didn't have the energy to try and move him so he left him be. "I mean, my dad's not a good guy either, but people aren't after me," he blinked his wide eyes innocently and Ace lifted his head up enough to reply.

"That's 'cuz Gramps is well-respected, Luffy. If I've got other family members, I don't know who they are," Ace propped his chin up on his hand now. "I mean, I've heard the whispers: that Roger was a demon, that he had the devil's blood in him, that anybody who shares that blood is evil and incapable of loving or being loved, and it's…it sucks, you know? That even if people don't know it's me, _I _know it's me, and I'm not like that," he said firmly.

"Mah, you have two people that love you in this room, so that means it's not true," Luffy made it sound so simple, as he always did, and Ace reached out to ruffle his hair.

"Thanks, Luffy. And I know you guys do, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if I'm…wrong, somehow," he looked genuinely conflicted and Sanji set the pot of sauce he was working on to simmer before crossing the floor and kneeling in front of Ace.

"You're not. You're no more wrong than anybody else born into this world, and if you ever forget that you've got a whole lot of people that will remind you," Sanji said firmly and Ace sighed and gave him a tiny smile, reaching to run his fingers through Sanji's golden hair. And Sanji let him, because Ace was one of the only people that could actually get away with mussing up his hair that way. "So chin up, alright?"

"Yeah. You're right," Ace sat up a little straighter and Sanji patted his knee and stood up, moving back to the stove and barely having time to check his sauce before a knock came at the door. He wasn't really expecting anybody (Zoro was at the gym, just like usual, and didn't think he'd be home until later) but while a year and a bit ago he would have been hesitant to open the door to anybody who came unannounced, he felt more at ease now with everything.

"Who is it?" Luffy yelped from the kitchen and Sanji sighed and tamped his annoyance down because Luffy knew damn well he hadn't even _gotten to the door yet, _and he could hear Ace berating his younger brother as he pulled the door open.

"Well, well; the prodigal son has returned," he grinned and Law rolled his eyes and practically fell through the doorway. "Woah, hey! You doing okay?"

"Yeah. Tired," Law sighed and rubbed his hands over his eyes, and he _did _look exhausted; the dark circles under his eyes were more prominent than ever and he staggered like he was going to drop on his feet. "It's hard to get a proper sleep when you're constantly on-guard for anybody to figure out you're not really on their side."

"You up for some dinner?" Sanji asked then, because he'd let Law crash on the couch if that's what he needed, but Law nodded.

"I'd be a fool to turn down your food. That is, if there's enough…"

"Ace and Luffy are over so I made way more than even they can eat. It's fine," he promised, and Law seemed to think a good answer to this was just staring at him and blinking slowly. "Law."

"Sorry. Fuck. I need to eat," he shook his head and strode forward, stopping to rest a hand on Sanji's shoulder as if that should be enough to reassure him, but Sanji wasn't having any of his stoic act today.

"Hey. Get over here," Sanji tugged him by the wrist and Law came with very little resistance, all but collapsing against the blond's body. "You know it's not weak to ask for a little bit of comfort, right?"

"I know, Mr. Blackleg, I'm just not used to it," Law hugged him back regardless and Sanji could _feel _the other man shaking with exhaustion.

"Come on, let's get some food in you and then you can sleep. Okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Law pushed himself away with what looked like a fair amount of effort and strode into the kitchen, and Sanji winced as Luffy shouted loud enough to alert the whole neighborhood.

"Luffy, he's exhausted, give him some space!" Ace yelled over his brother and Sanji muttered under his breath about braining the both of them with his spoon before he went to make sure his sauce hadn't broken.

It hadn't, luckily, and soon enough he was plating dinner and sitting down to eat himself, making sure to stick a plate for Zoro away in the fridge before Luffy just inhaled what was left in the pot.

"So Mr. Kid told you about Enel's weapons," Law cleared his throat and Sanji nodded.

"Did you find out anything else?"

"Nothing major, just that he's got quite a cache of these electric guns and I daresay he knows how to use them. We were right about him having a massive ego, though, and it's not hard to get information because he seems to brag about himself a lot. Whether any of it's true, I don't know, but I have a few good sources now and as long as my cover isn't blown I should be able to keep plying them for information," he replied, smirking a little, and Sanji reached over and shoved his shoulder. "What?"

"Don't kill yourself over this," he warned, causing Law to let out a sharp bark of laughter. "I mean it."

"Mr. Blackleg, I'm a doctor, or damn near close to it. I know what my body can take, believe me," he spoke with such confidence that Sanji had no choice but to, even though he still had his doubts.

Things were relatively quiet after that, except for Ace and Luffy ravenously devouring everything in sight (and the one time Sanji had to catch Ace by a fistful of hair before he face-planted in his food because he'd fallen asleep mid-bite again). He was debating whether or not to ask Law directly about Doflamingo, but in the end decided that it wasn't any of his business and if it was important, Law would tell him.

Luffy decided after they'd finished eating that he wanted dessert, and that dessert had to be ice cream (despite Ace's protests about 'Luffy, it's December!', but he looked resigned to the fact that he'd be taking Luffy for ice cream regardless of that little detail).

"So we're good? No more feeling sorry for yourself?" Sanji asked as he walked them to the door, and Ace shook his head.

"Nah, I know I'm not some kind of demon-spawn. 's all good. This one, though, I'm not too sure…" he jerked his thumb at Luffy, who very maturely stuck his tongue out in response.

"I think he'd drive a demon crazy, honestly," Sanji muttered as he hugged Ace briefly. "But have fun!"

"We will! Bye, Sanji, thanks for dinner!" Luffy tore out of the apartment with Ace chasing after him, and Sanji closed the door and slumped against it, thankful they were gone because as much as he loved them, dealing with both of them at once took a _lot _of energy.

"Oi, stop that, go sleep," he ordered, coming back into the kitchen to see Law loading the dishwasher. "I made it, I'll clean it up, don't worry."

"Right. Thanks. Should I take your couch, or…"

"Nah, take the bed. Zoro'll be home soon and he'll just wake you up clomping around here so go into the bedroom and close the door. I promise the sheets are clean," he held up his hands and Law grinned rather knowingly at him.

"One more thing…" he turned with a hand on the kitchen doorframe and Sanji looked up curiously.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful in the next week or so. I don't know if this has to do with the Admirals, or with Enel, or just with life, but…"

"Your psychic friend?" Sanji guessed, raising his eyebrow.

"Mr. Hawkins, yes, he's strongly implied that if we're not careful something bad's going to happen to at least one of us this week, 'us' I assume being our little group of crime-fighters," he added, and Sanji filed that information away but it was just one more reason to stay out of trouble for a while.

"And he's never wrong?"

"Never," Law shook his head, still swaying a little on his feet, and Sanji moved to take his arm.

"C'mon. You can spew doom and gloom at me once you're rested," he pulled Law into the bedroom and left him to rest, lighting up a cigarette and deciding to watch some television until Zoro got back.

000

"Why's the bedroom door shut?"

Zoro, of course, noticed this only _after_ eating, but at least he was perceptive enough to do that much.

"Law. He's sleeping," Sanji replied, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes a little as the other man's words came back to him. "His psychic friend apparently told him that we're all in danger this week if we start digging too deep, so that's one more reason to stay out of it for a while," he added, Zoro nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. I don't like it, but I guess I can wait a while before I go looking for fights," he grinned. "Anyway, how is he?"

"Dead on his feet, but otherwise okay,"

"Good," Zoro looked marginally pleased by that and slung his arm over Sanji's shoulders, pulling the chef closer to his side. "So I guess we're sleeping on the couch again, huh?"

"Probably. I have a feeling he thinks he'll be up in a couple of hours but I'd bet good money he'll sleep through the night, the way he was looking," Sanji let his head rest on the other man's shoulder and blinked sleepily, because he was kind of tired, too. "So, just like old times?"

"Yeah," Zoro's tone was fond, and Sanji had to admit those days when he'd get home from a bad shift and crash with Zoro on the couch, both of them still treading carefully around each other, they brought back some good memories. "You ready for bed?"

"Mm, if you are. Fuck, I guess I'm stuck sleeping in this," he realized, because all of his clothes were in the bedroom, but he slid off his dress shirt and decided the shirt he had underneath wasn't going to be ruined if he slept in it.

"I'm good," Zoro replied, but since he was basically wearing a T-shirt and sweats anyway, Sanji was kind of failing to see how it was any different from pyjamas.

"You would be," Sanji kissed him briefly before going to the washroom to brush his teeth, and by the time he came back Zoro was already snoring softly. He shook his head and turned off the television, pulling a blanket over them both as he snuggled close and dropped off to sleep almost immediately.

**Notes:**

**1. **Not a whole lot to say this time around, because I know people are reading this but I'm not getting any feedback…but since this is the longest thing I've been able to write in months I'm going to keep posting and if you feel like it, please drop me a review :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** From Here On Out  
**Author:** AoiTsukikage  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Characters/Pairing:** ZoSan, other secondary pairings  
**Chapters:** 6/?  
**Word Count:** 3086  
**Summary:** Sequel to 'This Is Your Life.' Sanji had thought that balancing real life and working to take down a new crime boss would be easier the second time around. He was wrong. Modern!AU, ZoSan primarily, other secondary pairings.

**Chapter Six**

Sanji woke up to the morning sun shining in his eyes and the sounds of somebody puttering around the kitchen, and he pushed himself off of Zoro's chest (since the other man was still fast asleep, of course) before making his way over.

"You know, you could just ask if you're hungry," he said simply and Law turned, nearly smacking his head on the cupboard he'd been digging around in.

"Sorry. Didn't want to wake you," he stood up to his full height and Sanji noted that he looked a lot better than the night before. He'd finally removed his hooded shirt and was just wearing a low-necked t-shirt, and Sanji tried to keep from staring at the curls of ink that were visible over his collarbones. Law was usually so covered up despite apparently having more tattoos than anybody knew about.

Law, of course, was far too perceptive not to notice and looked down before smiling. "Oh. Yeah. I'd show you but I wouldn't want Mr. Roronoa to think I was coming onto you by stripping in your kitchen," he looked knowingly at Sanji, who snorted.

"He wouldn't think anything of it. One thing about Zoro I'll never understand is that he has absolutely no regard for decency. He'd probably be fine with everybody walking around naked all the time, not because he's a pervert, but because he honestly doesn't seem to put much stock in physical beauty," he sniffed and leaned back on the counter.

"He must have eyes, at least, since he's with you," Law was back to digging in the cupboard and Sanji couldn't stop the blush that came with that compliment even though he knew it was innocent. Especially coming from somebody that looked like Law, and while Sanji had to admit that he wasn't huge into the whole bad-boy thing (yes, okay, Ace had a tattoo and Zoro had earrings but it _wasn't the same thing), _you'd have to be blind not to think he was hot.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Sanji asked then, because while it rather amusing to watch the other man going through his kitchen, he _did _like to keep a sense of order and Law was kind of disrupting that at the moment.

"Food?" the older man asked hopefully and Sanji tugged him away from the cupboard and started getting supplies out.

"You like oatmeal? Homemade stuff, not the packaged shit," he added and Law shrugged and nodded. "Good, because that's what I'm making," he went to grab a pot, knowing that if the clanking didn't wake Zoro the smell would as soon as he turned on the stove, and once he'd gotten everything started he looked back at Law. "So. This psychic friend of yours have any other clues to give you?"

"It's hard to tell with Mr. Hawkins. He's always deliberately vague, but apart from making it seem as if it were one of us, the only other thing he referenced was 'fire'. That could mean anything, though," he leaned back against the counter and Sanji pursed his lips and thought about it.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm a chef so I'm always working with fire, Ace has kinda got an obsession with it and..." he paused, still thinking, and Law tilted his head to the side and supplied.

"His boyfriend?"

"Phoenix," Sanji replied slowly. "Phoenixes are reborn in fire. But that…"

"So you should probably avoid doing anything dangerous with Mr. Portgas and Mr. Marco in the next week. Like I said, I don't know if that's what Mr. Hawkins was talking about, but it's as good a guess as any," he looked remarkably unconcerned and Sanji didn't think anything of it before suddenly it struck him.

"Hey, wait, _boyfriend?" _

"I have eyes too, Mr. Blackleg, and even though I only saw them interact briefly it was obvious. I'm right, aren't I?" he was smirking as if he already knew he was, and Sanji figured he didn't need to answer.

"Marco still doesn't trust you," he said instead, and Law laughed outright at that one.

"He's right not to," he looked unfazed by this. "Sometimes alliances only work because of a good deal of distrust between the people involved. It usually causes less mistakes if you're cautious, and both he and I have been doing this long enough to know that trusting too easily can be your downfall. And sometimes, well, sometimes trust is a thing to be broken," he spoke the last almost quietly and Sanji debated asking whose trust he'd broken, or who'd broken his, but had to stop himself again.

Zoro decided to show up after that, stomping into the kitchen and yawning as he looked at Sanji and then at Law. "Hey, man. Good to see you."

"Likewise, Mr. Roronoa," Law replied with a short incline of his head. "Your boyfriend's apparently trying to nurse me back to health, something I keep telling him I don't need because…"

"You're a doctor, yeah, I know," Sanji left the pot for a moment and got some bowls out, setting them beside the stove and directing Zoro to put the milk and brown sugar on the table (Zoro could handle that much, at least, even if he was hopeless at using any cooking appliance more sophisticated than a microwave on a regular basis). "Speaking of that, you know Kid gave me your address?"

"I asked him to," Law said. "My home is fairly innocuous and I've got more room than I need, so if anything happens and you need a safe place for somebody to spend a few days or a week recuperating in, it's probably the best option."

"Thanks," Sanji nodded to him before turning back to the stove, taking the pot off once the oatmeal was done and putting it on table. "Well, dig in, boys."

Zoro, of course, needed no prompting, but Law was a lot, well, calmer about getting his own food, and he seemed to be lost in thought as they ate until Sanji cleared his throat.

"So. Trust. Is that a way of telling me it was stupid to let you sleep in our house?" he meant for it to come out flippant but it came out a lot more hesitant than that, although Law's response was to chuckle softly.

"No. Distrust can be useful, but actual trust isn't a bad thing to have. You can trust me, Sanji," he said, and the use of Sanji's first name told him more than anything that Law was being utterly serious.

"I know," Sanji eventually said. "I guess I've never had to experience that kind of betrayal so I don't know how it feels."

"You'll learn," Law said it in a way that pretty much told Sanji he had personal experience in the matter. And it wasn't as if Sanji was naturally trusting, but maybe he'd been lucky in that even the people that claimed to work for the other side always ended up assisting him. He wasn't sure what that said about him, but it wasn't a bad thing, in any case.

Besides, if anybody ever truly double-crossed them, he'd kick their ass, no matter how much he might like them.

Still, he had to admit the thought of somebody he trusted implicitly turning on him wasn't a pleasant one (hell, it had been hard enough with Kaku and his constant flip-flopping between government assassin and the rather nice guy he was on a regular basis) and he hoped that he'd never have to go through it himself.

000

"You're worried he's going to hurt himself."

"It's stupid, I know," Zoro crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, pursing his lips because Robin was fucking psychic or something and could always see right through him.

"It's not stupid," Usopp shook his head firmly, hands wrapped around a cup of coffee. He and Zoro had met up after class since they had a break at the same time, and Robin had just happened to be at the University dropping off some materials for the history department so she'd joined them in the coffee shop.

"It is, though," Zoro sighed, trying to figure out the best way to word this. "I mean, whenever we argue about something like this it always turns into this big…thing, and I don't want to fight with him," he was honestly amazed that he and Sanji _didn't _fight that often anymore, especially since back in high school the only thing they ever seemed to be able to say to each other were insults.

"Then don't," Robin made it sound so easy. "You trust him, and he trusts you, so what is it that's worrying you so much this time?"

"I guess just that…I mean, I agreed to this. Not that he wouldn't have done it anyway, because he's a stubborn bastard, but I feel like if I even bring it up he'll think that I'm saying he can't take care of himself," he frowned because he was really shitty at talking about feelings, but Robin nodded in understanding regardless.

"I know, Zoro. Remember, last time I was stuck outside the building while the rest of you were in there fighting, and while sometimes you can be just as effective from the sidelines, it often feels like you're doing nothing," as always, she knew exactly what he was feeling, but by now instead of it freaking him out he was kind of grateful.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Usopp could be weirdly perceptive when he wanted to be as well, and it seemed like today was one of those times. "I mean, this would have been a worry since the beginning, but there's something else that's worrying you _right now_," he emphasized.

Zoro sighed and shrugged, deciding that trying to bluff his way out of it would be useless, and explained about Law and Hawkins and the warning. Sanji had told him about everything after Law had gone home or…wherever he'd disappeared to, and Zoro had taken it in stride outwardly although it had started a churning anxiety in his stomach he couldn't quite make sense of. He tried to brush it off as just normal overprotective worry, but by the look on Robin's face after he was done speaking _she_ definitely seemed concerned (which might have been the most telling thing of all, since Robin was too good at masking her emotions normally).

"So you're worried he's going to walk unwittingly into danger," she looked thoughtful. "It's always a possibility, I suppose."

"I don't wanna smother him this week, but I also don't want to take a chance on anything bad happening," Zoro's fingers flexed unconsciously, reaching for swords that weren't there, and God, he really needed to either get in a fight or have a decent training session soon, although there was still nobody that would train with him and Kaku was being stubborn about 'over-exerting himself' when Zoro knew that was bullshit.

A little voice in the back of his head told him that he could always ask Mihawk, but there was something about his pride that wouldn't let him do that yet.

"Look, Zoro, I don't wanna tell you you're worrying for nothing because coming from me that'd be kind of hypocritical, but do you really think Sanji's gonna forget something as ominous as a…a death warning?" Usopp's voice got progressively higher and more distressed as he spoke but, well, he had a valid point.

"Nah, you're right, he'll be fine," Zoro grinned and tried not to think about why he didn't believe his own words. Or why, when his eyes met Robin's, she didn't look like she believed them, either.

000

"We should walk! It's nice out," Ace spread his arms and twirled around in a circle, grinning as he stared up at the sky and the rare snow falling. It wasn't enough that it would build up at all, and the air wasn't freezing, but Sanji didn't think anybody else would call it 'nice' when it was snowing in the first place.

Ace was just exceptionally warm-blooded. Or something.

"Ace, it's snowing!" Marco held out a hand and then dropped it with a sigh, knowing well enough by now that there was no reasoning with Ace when he got his mind to something.

"It's not far," Sanji dug in his pocket for a cigarette and lit it, something about the action niggling at his memory but he dismissed it. They weren't looking for trouble, after all, and he highly doubted anything would happen in the few blocks between the restaurant and Shanks' bar. He hadn't said anything about the warning to the other two guys, mostly because he figured Marco would go super-overprotective, but quite frankly he'd had enough of being coddled and guarded after the whole thing with Krieg.

This time, if everything went to shit, he was going to face it head-on instead of letting somebody nearly die for him.

"Well, lead on," Marco gestured and Sanji hopped off the sidewalk, sprinting across the street to where Ace was trying to catch snowflakes with his tongue. Sometimes it was kind of hard to believe he _wasn't _related to Luffy, honestly.

"Are we going?" Ace looked up, grinning, and they moved across the plaza together, Ace always running ahead a few steps before waiting impatiently for the other two to catch up. The streets were mostly deserted so late at night, both because of the hour and the weather, but a rather loud 'crunch' of heavy boots on the fresh snow from the other side of the open area had Sanji slowing to a halt, his heart beating a little faster.

It was stupid to worry, he knew it was. Nothing bad was going to happen, psychic premonition or not. God, he sounded like Usopp, worrying about the tiniest things.

"What's wrong?" Marco, of course, picked up on his hesitation and walked forward a few steps.

A man darted out from between the buildings, rather large and stout and tottering along in an ungainly fashion before disappearing into an alleyway. Barely ten seconds passed before another man followed him, slimmer but still broad-shouldered, and Ace put a hand on Sanji's arm and hissed, "That was Akainu."

"Are you sure?" Sanji had a bad, _bad_ feeling about this now.

"Yeah. But I dunno who he's chasing…"

"Blackbeard," Marco nearly spat the name and okay, there was obviously a story there even though now wasn't the time to hear it. "I'd recognize the way he walked anywhere."

"We should go…" Sanji started but Ace was already sneaking off toward the alley entrance. "Ace, I'm serious, we're supposed to let the Admirals be…"

"This'll only take a second, I just wanna see what they're up to," Ace was through the narrow entrance before Sanji could think to physically restrain him (not that he probably would have had any luck with that regardless, but damn it, he could have tried!) and he followed as quickly as he dared, hearing Marco's footsteps behind him.

The alley was narrow, barely enough room for one person to pass through by themselves, but it branched off a few feet down the way and Sanji cursed under his breath. "Should we each take a path?" Marco still sounded impassive, but his posture was tense and Sanji knew he could probably sense something was off even _not _knowing about Hawkins' warning.

"Yeah," Sanji darted right, sprinting through the constricting passage and keeping his eyes peeled for any movement, but by the time he reached a dead end leading into some sort of shop he'd encountered nobody. He sighed and turned back around, resigned to going back and hoping that Akainu and Blackbeard had just…gone through a path that they hadn't seen, when the ground shook beneath his feet and a pillar of flame shot up into the night sky.

"_Shit!" _he didn't care if he startled anybody with that yell, because _fire fire fire beware of fire _and he was running faster than he ever had before, vaulting over a pile of rubble as he neared the split in the path they'd come to the first time.

The air was thick with smoke now and he could hear sirens in the distance, lights starting to pop on in the buildings surrounding him. He'd barely passed through the way Marco had gone when he saw a figure through the swirling red-tinged smoke. "Phoenix…" he whispered, knowing it was stupid, but damn if Marco didn't look like some sort of mythical creature backlit by the light from the explosion, tall and imposing and completely unharmed even with the flames nearly licking his sleeves.

Which was more than could be said for the man he was holding in his arms, and Sanji swallowed down the wave of fear and shock and _not-again-oh-God-not-again _as he asked, "Is he…"

"Alive. He must have come across the trap and…I don't know if he triggered it, but he was trying to get away," Sanji could see that the back of Ace's jacket and shirt were nearly singed right off, and from the red running down Marco's arms he had a feeling it wasn't pretty underneath the charred fabric. "He needs help, Sanji."

"Right. Yeah," part of Sanji wondered how Marco could be so calm, but another reminded him that you didn't get a reputation like he had without going through some serious shit, so maybe he was just more used to this. "My car's…it's just back at the restaurant…"

"Let's go. Before the police show up," Marco tightened his grip on Ace and Sanji could see the concern in his eyes as he looked down at the younger man, but right now getting Ace help was more important than anything and as they ran Sanji could almost feel his phone burning a hole in his pocket as a rather helpful reminder about where they needed to go. "Are we taking him to those friends of yours?"

"A friend, yeah," Sanji skidded to a halt beside his car and threw the door open, trying to regulate his breathing so he could drive without putting them in more danger.

Thank God Ace was unconscious, at least, so he couldn't feel anything right now.

"What is it?" Marco must have sensed his hesitation and Sanji gripped the wheel tightly, roaring out of the parkade and onto the road.

"You're not gonna like who I'm taking you to. But he's the best chance we've got."

**A/N: Don't hurt me**


End file.
